Shadows
by Gajeelswoman
Summary: Fairy Tail AU. Levy is a Master Thief, Gajeel is... you'll have to read to find out. Fairy Tail characters do not belong to me, they belong to Hiro Mashima. This fic is dedicated to my dearest, best friend, the amazing Muddyevil. If you've not read her stuff, get on it. She's a million times better than me. This fic is for her birthday, because she's fantastic.


"C'mon, c'mon, open open open open..." I chanted at the lock I was working on. I wasn't worried about being seen, my cloak took care of that. But, even with the help of the spell in my boots, my legs were aching from holding myself crouched on this tiny ledge. Normally I'd have popped this lock in mere seconds, but... _But, my gloves got jacked by that bas... No, thoughts aren't safe right now..._ I pushed my anger aside and focused on the window lock. _You didn't used to need magical help, c'mon, get it together._ I leaned my ear against the window and fiddled my picks until I heard a satisfying "click" and felt the window pop open a little. "Yes!" I murmured, tucking my picks back into a pocket in my belt.

Before I let it open any further, I pulled another tool out. It looked like a piece of straw, thin and long, but stronger. I slid it across the top of the window, catching the twine there and pulling it to myself. The owner of this home was paranoid, although not wrong, and trapped his windows. I'd almost missed it the first time I came and set the alarm off. The twine had a little give, but if I'd pulled the window open all the way, it would have yanked a few bells off the shelf next to the window and made such a clatter it would have woken the dead.

* * *

I stood in the shadows of my study, a shadow cloak around me. I didn't really need it against most people, the room was dark enough, but just in case there were vision enhancers like I used to wear around... my policy was to be prepared. All of my instincts were telling me that the hit would happen tonight. The last three times I'd been robbed had been full moon nights, which was odd. Usually thieves avoided the light of a full moon, since it made them easier to spot. This bastard was clever though. He'd found my alarm without setting it off. Multiple times, it seemed.

If I hadn't gone looking for an old necklace of my mother's, I wouldn't have noticed the missing bracelet. Or the matching silver goblets that usually stood in the cabinet next to the jewelry box. I had been looking for the necklace to gift to a friend for her wedding, and to loan her the goblets. After that, I'd payed more attention to my belongings and noticed the timing of the thefts. I ground my teeth together in frustration as I thought about this trespass on my sanctuary. _Either the thief doesn't know who lives in this house, or he's got a serious death wish._

I pulled myself back from my musings when I heard the lock click open on the window. _So that's how he gets in. Must be a user, to get in that window._ I waited for what seemed like hours as my intruder disabled the alarm bells on my window and crept in. _He's careful, I'll give him that. But wait...is that?_

* * *

I disarmed the trap in such a way that I could reset it when I left and crept through the portal to the house. I was vigilant; this guy was smart, and had probably added new traps when he noticed the results of my previous visits. If he'd noticed. I didn't know, but I hadn't lasted into my twenties by being careless. I'd stolen small things that wouldn't be noticed immediately.

I paused, crouched on the window ledge still, and reached up under my hood, pulling down goggles that enhanced my vision, enabling me to see in the dark almost as well as during the day. Looking around, I didn't see anyone in the room, and my instincts were telling me it was clear as well. I closed the window as I slipped all the way in and moved to the wall, away from the moonlight. The cloak I wore had a "look away" spell on it, but it really only worked from a distance. In my mottled black skins, or thieving clothes, I'd be pretty obvious to anyone who came into the room if I was in the light.

* * *

The person sitting on my window ledge was tiny. I thought it was a child at first, but as she - not he - straightened up, I could definitely tell she was an adult. Even under the cloak with a diversion spell on it I could see curves. A tiny waist moved gracefully above perfect hips. I couldn't see any distinguishing features on her face, since she'd pulled enhancing googles onto her eyes. I tensed for a moment as she swept the room, but my cloak's magic held and she didn't see me.

For some reason I was stuck watching her move. I'd meant to confront my thief the moment they entered my home, but I was entranced by the grace in her movement, and the silence with which she stepped. Even my enhanced hearing didn't pick anything up. She moved as if she was dancing, and her dance was like a spell. I watched as she reached my desk, standing mere feet in front of me, and I realized her goal.

* * *

Slinking around like a cat, I stepped carefully around the room; toe-heel, toe-heel, pause. My target was a stack of manuscripts, instructions on how to create magic tools, actually. How my source knew this guy had these, I'll never know, but they were valuable. Like, I'd be set for life when this job was finished, valuable. I came to a desk and started rifling carefully through the papers there. _So many interesting scrolls here! I could spend days! No..._ I snapped my attention back to what I was looking for. _Ha! Here's one... And... There's two!_

I reached up my sleeves, pulling out two small tubes. These manuscripts were old, but they were protected by the same magics they taught, so I wasn't worried about damaging them by rolling them tightly. With a practiced hand I did just that, one paper in each tube, and slid them back up my sleeves. I pulled a strap around each of my wrists, wrapping them around my thumb to keep the sleeves taut and my prize inside. I glanced down at the desk again to make sure it wasn't too obvious the papers had been taken. With a smug smirk and a nod, I made my way back around the room and pushed the window open again. I slid my goggles back up into my good before their enhancement blinded me with the light from the full moon outside.

I was almost out. Home free. I looked down at the ground outside as I pulled my skins up over my nose and mouth, and snagged my hood down to my brow. My boots were magicked to absorb great shocks and boost my jumping strength, so even though I was three stories up in this massive house, my plan was just to jump. I stepped onto the sill and froze. My instincts were telling me something was wrong.

* * *

 _So someone finally figured out I ended up with those? Wonder if it was Makarov..._ I didn't need the manuscripts anymore, so I waited, still entranced by the woman in front of me. I was supposed to safeguard these while I studied them, the information they held was forbidden to the public. But the way she was bent over the desk gave me a pretty nice view and kept me from stopping her. _Gihi._ She finally straightened up, and I watched her still as she stowed her stolen goods up her sleeves before modifying her outfit. Tightening her black sleeves showed off wiry, muscled arms.

Quicker than she'd come in, she was at the window again, and I was moving before I realized it. I stretched out a hand to grab the tiny woman as she glanced over her shoulder from the window ledge. I read shock in dark eyes before she whirled and leapt from my window. It was a three story drop, and I panicked a little, lunging the last foot to snatch her cloak. There was a moment of resistance and I almost let go, not wanting to hang her with her own clothes, but then the weight was gone and I was left hanging out my window with the fabric in my hand.

I watched, wide eyed, as she made a perfect landing; she bent her knees and rolled forward, continuing her momentum into a run, her short, brown hair flowing freely behind her. _Damn. She's good._ I stood back up and crossed my arms as I watched her throw a look over her shoulder at me before her lithe form disappeared down the road. I held the cloak up to my nose and took a deep breath. _Now if I ever smell her again, I'll recognize her._ I reset my lock and alarm, then placed a few more to be safe. A man would know not to come back at this point, but a woman? You never know with those creatures...

* * *

There was no one in the street; I'd timed this perfectly and the constable wouldn't be back around for a few more minutes. Confusion crossed my face as I tried to figure out what was triggering the alarm in my head. Still not seeing anything, I turned to grab the twine and reset the alarm. As I did, I saw a hand fly at me, open to grab my hood. _Shit!_ I jerked away at the last second, but felt the snag at my hooded cloak. My reflexes had me already untying it so I didn't hang myself, and it pulled free. I bent my knees to absorb the impact, more out of habit than necessity thanks to my boots. I tumbled into a roll and came up at a run. I tried not look back, so my face couldn't be recognized, but I felt compelled to anyway. I saw the huge frame of a man, a mane of black hair illuminated by the moonlight, and I'd have sworn his eyes were glowing red. _Damn. There goes THAT source of income._

Whipping around again, I took off, not slowing until I was several blocks away. That in and of itself was dangerous. Running at night in a neighborhood like this would catch the attention of the guard. I slid into an alley and collapsed against the wall to catch my breath. _I haven't had to run like that in too long!_ My sides were heaving, and I could feel that my face was flushed from the exertion. I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes, finding my center and forcing myself to be calm.

When my heart rate returned to normal, I took inventory. My cloak was gone, but that was a fairly generic tool, easy enough to replace as these things go. I grabbed my forearms, _good, the manuscripts are still there._ All my other tools were where they were supposed to be, and I felt my heart rate slow further. Reassured that the night wasn't a complete waste I looked around and took my bearings. _Ah. Poppy street. That's not too far from base._ _But home's the other way._ Taking one last deep breath, I loosened the straps on my sleeves and pant legs so it wasn't as obvious what my trade was.

 _Now I just have to copy these quickly so I can use this knowledge later, and get to my fence._ Some people would have handled this trade directly, not trusting a fence. But the old man I used was kind, and treated me as if he was my papa. I suspected that sometimes he bought things from me just to help me make my quota, not because he actually needed them. I always brought the little kiddies to him when they first started, knowing he'd help them stay alive a little longer. That was all I could do for them. At least, that's what I told myself so I could sleep.


End file.
